Living In NYC
We bet you’ve red guides about living somewhere full of funny examples and nothing useful to illustrate what it’s like to actually stay in the city. Our guide will lead you through the basics of living in NYC from finding a job and accommodation to entertainment and cultural life.
Before you pack your things in boxes and buy one-way ticket to NYC, don’t forget it’s not easy to live in such city beast. New York currently registers more than 8.5 million people living there and this does not include the constant flow of tourists. Over 50 million tourists pass through the city each year.
You will find yourself in a multicultural, multi-ethnical environment in constant haste and noise. To deal with the life in the Big Apple see what it’s like to be there and how to make the best of your everyday life.
Accommodation
Finding a proper place to live in NYC equals to finding an oasis in the desert. Rents are extremely high, due to the never ending income of new residents and accommodations are small. Be prepared to live in a shoe-box, at least for a while. We suggest to start looking for accommodation online before you arrive in NYC. Online searching for rentals is your best option because you avoid the agency taxes.
However if you’re already in NYC and don’t have a place to stay first book a cheap hostel somewhere close to your work and then you can visit a real estate agency. The good thing about NYC is the great variety of types of housing. In the five boroughs you can choose between super expensive flats in Manhattan with rent exceeding $2000 per month for a single studio to cheap deals in Brooklyn and Queens from $200 per month.
Some useful links to popular real estate agencies:
Before you pay the deposit of anything, consider the option of shared flat living. You can find roommates online with Spareroom. Also, you can hire just one room if you intend to live alone and you don’t spend too much time at home. Your rent will be less expensive, though you won’t have kitchen or laundry you’ll have peace.
Transport
One thing describes NYC transportation flow – Busy! The car traffic is hell, so you better get rid of the car and use public transport. With the underground, you’ll get faster than with your car. Traffic jams are something usual in the city, while the metro trains run 24 lines – more than anywhere else. The different lines operate at different times, but many of them travel non-stop or until late.
It absolutely necessary to buy a metro card. This card gives you access to all metro lines and buses and if you have Express metro car you can also use express buses.
To plan your trip, whilst you have too many travel options we suggest you to use Trip Planner. It will show you all optional routes, transfers and transportation options, along with time schedules and time for travel. The official MTA website lists interesting apps to orientate in the Subway – All Abroad Bus, which show you all buses in NYC, all Schedules Free showing transport modes and Art by Subway, giving you info about the artwork in the subway.
Work
Almost all foreign NYC resident come here seeking better career opportunities. If you’re not lazy you wouldn’t remain unemployed. Finding a job in a café is easy, but when it get to professional growth, things are not that simple. Professionals with a higher educational degree are highly respected, so you’ll need your Masters to find a proper job. Previous experience is also an advantage. If you speak multiple languages you will surely get ahead.
The more prepared you are with technologies as well, the bigger is the chance to have good salary. Almost every employer puts their eventual employees to a basic test for computer skills.
To find a job quick you can start searching online. The four major web platforms for online job searching will do
If you seek something specific and you need help, try some of the many labor services. They will look for job suitable for you considering your professional experience and preferences. They usually take taxes, a 20% to 30% of your first year’s salary. Don’t be afraid, agencies find better job positions, as they have excellent relations with large companies.
Health
NYC’s health system is graded as one the best health departments in the entire USA. Good health care is assured for everyone with private or social health insurance. The health law in the USA allows you to use different health services, depending on the value of your insurance. You literally can shop for health services.
The types of health insurances in the USA are quite a long list. Private insurances are up to your earnings. You, as a working person, take care of your financial bill for health. Social insurances are not on your cost, in case you’re disabled, child, or over 65 years. There also many other insurance programs to choose among like low-income insurances, family insurance, full medical care insurance etc.
First aid and emergency medical care are delivered to everyone, despite their social status, insurance status or income. Aside from the basic healthcare the hospitals offer services, which are usually highly evaluated and expensive. For basic treatment or preventive examination, you can visit one of the many private health centers and use your insurance coverage.
Visit the site of NYC Gov to learn more about different health insurance programs.
Social Life
Despite your pink expectations about the life in the big city, New York might be quite a lonely place. And it’s all result of the millions of people living there. Life is busy, traveling takes a lot of time and adding the fact you might live in a distant neighborhood you chances of meeting people aren’t so big.
You best shot will be to make connections at work. Most of the single people are as lonely as you are, so meeting a new friend at work is commonly seen. If you have a roommate, consider the option to get close to him/her, as you can go out together, share taxis and food expenses in restaurants.
If you have certain hobbies, don’t leave them aside when you move to NYC. No matter what you like to do in your free time, whether it’s sport, dancing, watching movies or reading, go for it. The common interests will gather you will different interesting people from all over the world. One of the basic rules for living in NYC is to be tolerant to other’s specific traditions, habits, and religion.
Finally, if you’re less traditional and more practical there many social dating apps to get in use. You can try City Socializer, Bristlr, Distinc.tt, Flicpic, and Glimpse. All of them work on IOS and some on Android.
Culture
Cultural life is probably the best thing about NYC and you should use this advantage. New York is one of the few big cities so highly concentrated on contemporary art. Almost all of its art museums and galleries are pointed towards modern and contemporary world known artists.
Many of the museums offer free entries on selected days or hours. New York museums have this practice to let you pay what you wish to enter the museum. Some of the best art museums and galleries in NYC are The MoMA, Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum, Gagosian Gallery, David Zwirner Gallery…
Checkout more art museums and galleries.
New York’s most famous cultural aspect are the Broadway shows. You just can’t live there and miss the shows, as the box offices often offer discounted tickets, absolutely affordable for everyone. Along with the popular Broadway classics, you can go for off-Broadway shows, in the other boroughs to see new an even more qualified stage acts.
Music lovers will not be left unsatisfied in NYC. Especially during the summer months, New York literally explodes with concert series held outdoors at the park, rooftop movie screenings, theater performances, which can be seen every weekend.
Don’t forget the variety of musical events, from classical music and opera in the park to music festivals featuring rock, pop, dance, hip-hop, blues, whatever style you can imagine.
Except for the music festival, many more dance and ethno festivals are held during the summer days. See what else you can do in NYC during the summer.
In the cold days, you can visit the Public Library of NYC, which is the second largest library in the USA and the fourth in the world.
Food
Living in the NYC can make you weight a hundred pounds if you’re international cuisine lover. In such a big city with many foreign cultures integrated into its existence, life can be tasty. There is nothing you won’t be able to try, starting from American breakfast to Indian, Thai, Japanese or Mexican kitchen.
It’s easy today to search for cool restaurants. In case you’re true food specialist, NYC is host for some of the best chefs worldwide. See the best high-class restaurants in NYC.
You can use this app Chefsfeed to search for particular chefs, dishes or restaurants. In any other case if you seek for true traditional foreign cuisine you can go straight to some of the NYC foreign neighborhoods, like Chinatown.
To find good, fresh and nutritive food products you should better visit the food markets or the farmer’s markets. You will be able to find every grocery you need at one place, as well as some traditional dishes and products sold by the foreign farmers.
Some of the best food markets in NYC are the Chelsea Food Market, Union Square Green Market, Smorgasburg, where you can find exotic dishes or visit the Indian food market Kalustyan’s and Sahadi’s market, selling product typical for the Middle East.
Nightlife
NYC is bustling day and even more in the night. You can go and release the pressure by dancing all night in one of the many nightclubs in NYC or if you prefer live music, there’s plenty of live venues as well.
Some dance clubs open on Thursday and run parties constantly until Monday morning. In the most popular NYC clubs, you can meet celebrities, models, actors. Some club seven have dress code. We can say it’s worth it to go, as all of them invite crazy DJ’s, playing techno, house, or mainstream popular music. Cielo, Le Bain, Provocateur, and Output are one of the biggest and most visited places.
As for the live venues, the variety is so wide you can go to different place every week. Warehouse live venues, art spaces and live music, a club with live bands, concert halls, everything is there to serve you, the fan. If you want to visit old venue with history go to the Apollo Theater, or to some of the best live venues the Cake Shop or Irving Plaza. If you prefer concert hall go to the Terminal 5.
When you have finally settled down, you can take one of our walking tours in Central Park. You won’t regret it!
